A journalist from The New York Times spoke directly with President Donald Trump minutes after the United States announced a dramatic military operation in Venezuela, offering a rare real-time glimpse into the president’s immediate response following the raid.
Tyler Pager of The New York Times said he called President Trump shortly after 4:30am on Saturday, around 10 minutes after Trump posted on social media that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Trump answered the phone after three rings, he added. Follow US strikes on Venezuela LIVE updates
According to the journalist’s account, the president sounded tired but confident as he described the mission. Trump first hailed the operation’s execution and outcome.
In the phone call that lasted about 50 seconds, the Republican president said, “A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people… It was a brilliant operation, actually” the NYT report quoted Trump as saying.
Trump on what’s next
During the brief conversation, the journalist asked whether Trump had sought congressional authorisation before the US military, along with law enforcement personnel, carried out what the president himself described as a “large scale strike” on Venezuela.
“We’ll discuss that,” Trump said. “We’re going to have a news conference.”
When asked about what comes next for Venezuela and why the high-risk mission was necessary, Trump declined to elaborate further.
“You’re going to hear all about it 11 o’clock,” he said, before ending the call.
Later, in the press conference Trump did elaborate on some of the specifics of the operation. He said that the US is “going to run” Venezuela until a transition of power is completed. He also said Washington would tap Venezuela’s vast oil reserves as part of a broader rebuilding effort.
He added that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez will work with the United States to help transition Venezuela to a democratically elected government. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again, very simple,” the US President said.
Maduro captured
The United States carried out a rapid military strike on Venezuela early Saturday, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and removing them from the country, according to American officials.
The overnight operation left Venezuela in a state of uncertainty, with its leadership destabilised and the full extent of casualties and damage still unclear.
Trump shared additional details during a Saturday morning interview on Fox and Friends. He said a few US personnel involved in the operation were injured, but he believed no one had been killed.
He described Maduro as being “highly guarded” inside a presidential palace that functioned like a “fortress”. According to Trump, the Venezuelan leader attempted to reach a safe room but failed to do so in time.
Trump also said US forces rehearsed the operation on a replica of the target building and claimed the United States shut off “almost all of the lights in Caracas,” without explaining how that was achieved.
US officials said Maduro and Flores will face narco-terrorism charges in American courts, reported Associated Press.